Driving mechanism for automobiles.



PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

W. 0., PRICE. DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

. W. 0. PRICE. DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 8. 1905. i

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No. 819,377. PATENTED MAY 1, 190a.

W. 0. PRICE. DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY& 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

.(luli d a f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

- V I WILLIAM 0. PRICE, or CHICAGO, 1LL1No1s,-Ass1eNoR TOSTAVER CARRIAGE COMPANY, or ILLINOIS.

or CHICAGO, 1LLINOI'S,A CORPORATION DRIVING MECHANISM .FoR AUTOMOBILES.

Patentedi'May 1, 1906.

Application filed July-8 .1905 Serial No. 268,880.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM 0. PRICE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicage, in the county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented certain new: and useful Immobiles, of which the following is a full and complete specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invent1on relates to driving mechanism for automobiles; and its object is to provide new and improved mechanism by which the driving-wheels of an automobile or other vehicle pro elled by power carried by itself may be riven, by which the power-may be disconnected from the driving-wheels, and by which the drivin -wheels may be reversed .by a simple and easi y-operated mechanism.

Inv the drawings, Figure f is a side elevation of my mechanism, showing the drivingwheel and part of the frame of the vehicle.- Fig. 2 is a top'or plan view. Fig. 3 is a side i elevation with the near wheels and drivingpplley removed inorder to show the parts be- 'nd. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, being section on line 4 4 of 3.

. Referring to the rawings, 5 indicates the side bars of the frame of the vehicle.

6 indicates hangers su ported by brace 7 from the side bars of the ame.

8 indicates a shaft mounted in suitable journals 9, secured to the hangers 6. The

shaft is driven b any suitable prime mover and any suita 1e manner, as by sprocketchain 10 and sprocketvwheel 11. The prime mover,'as has been said, may be of any kind and construction, and as neither it nor the forward frame and wheels of the vehicle form any portion of my present invention they are not shown. i

. 12 indicates pulle s which are secured to the shaft 8 upon eac side of the frame 5 and.

cured tothe springs 18 and supported thereon by suitable devices, such as saddles 19 and bolts 20. v

' I 21 indicates-slide-boxes which are secured tothe upper half of the springs 18 by crossbars 22 and bolts 23, as is-best shownin Fig. 4. provements in Driving Mechanism for Auto-- 1 As is-best shown in Fig. 4, the side bars 5 at their lower edge near their rear, so as to form, with the rear end of the braces 7 slots 24, whereby the lower portions of the side bars 5. at the rabbeted-out portions and the rear end of the bar 7 are embracedlwithin the slide-boxes 21, so that the slide-boxes may slide thereon longitudinally of the side bars.

Itwill be seen from the above description that the rear ends of the s ide bars 5 are supported in the slide-boxes 21, which are in turn supported on the springs upon which the axle 17 1s secured, and which lnturn is supported by the driving-wheels 14.

"25 indicates driving-pulle s which are secured to the inner surfaces 0 the wheels14 in alinement with the pulleys.12.

26 indicates ropes or-driving-belts which pass around the pulleys 12 and the pulleys 25'.

27 indicates a hand-lever which is secured to one end of a rock-shaft 28, which is journaledin suitable bearings 29 on the side bars 5 and which is provided with the usual rackbar30 anddog31. 4

' 32 i d'cates rock-arms depending downwardly from and secured to the rock-sh aft 28.

33 indicates links which are pivotally connected with the lower ends of the rockar1ns 32 and extending backward to the rear are pivotally connected with the saddles 19 upon the axle 17. The forward end of the links 33 are providedwith a series of openings 34, by

. means of which the connection with the rockarms.32 maybe adjusted by means of suitable pins 35 passin through said openlngs and through suitab e openings in the lower ends of the rock-arms 32.

' 36 indicates links which are pivotally con nected 'at theirforward ends with the links I lug-ropes may be thus tightened as much as be desired and thehand-lever locked in any desired position. Wheri. it is desired to disconnect the driving mechanism, the handlever 27 is pulled backward, which will throw the rock-arms 33 forward, moving the. slide boxes 21 and driving-wheels 14-forwardrelatively to the frame'B, thus loosening. the driv shaft 8. A still farther backward motion of *the hand-lever will move the driving-wheels andslide-boxes still farther forward rela-,

tively to the sidebars until the friction-pull'eys 13 bear upon the peripheries of the wheels to be backed.

14, which will cause the rotation of'the driving-wheels to be reversed and the machine It will be seen from the above description that by the movement of a single lever easily "under the control of the driver.

the machine may be started forward and by varying the-tension upon the driving-ropes the'forward speed regulated, by which means.

the machine may be gradually started and,

as the rope is tightened, urged forward at its full speed. It will also be obvious that by the manipulation of the same lever in the other direction easily under the control of the driver the driving-pulley may be disconnected from the driving-wheels, the machine braked as may be desired, according to the amount of pressure exerted between the frietion-pull'ey l3 and the periphery of the driving-wheel and then backed, if desired. The

hand-lever, as has been said, may be lockedat any desired position by means of the rackbar. 30 and (log 31. ltwill'ol course be understood lrom the above description that the 'handlever 27 will be in its intermediate position when the machine is not/being driven, and that in starting the machine the lever is moved forward to such a positionthat the driving-rope is not tightemid to the extreme 'at first and will slip upon the pulleys, so that the machine will not he started too violently, and that as the machine moves forward the pressure of the driving-ropes upon the pulleys may be increased by the farther forward motion of the lever until the maximum speed is reached. It will also be obvious that any required degree of braking may be applied by varying the amount of pressure upon the I pulleys l3 and the peripheries of wheels 14 until when the pressure is still stronger the driving-wheels are reversed by the action of the pulleys upon the peripheries of the wheels.

Itwill be readily understood from the above mg-lopes and preventing the driving-wheels -from-being rotated with the rotation of the description that, one ofthe advantages of my speed of the automobile without the use of gears for increasing or diminishing the speed, I for not only can the machine be started slowl and the speedgradually increased to its limit by the gradual tightening of the belt by the moving of the hand-lever, but by throwing the hand-lever only a part of the distance over the'driving-belt'will notbe'tightened to the invention is that I am enabled to eontrolthe full extent, and hence, will slip upon the driv-' ing-pulleys'toa certain extent, depending upon the degree to which the belts are tightened,- and thus a speed less than the full speed may be maintained. "It will also be obvious that by means of my invention I amenabled 4 to do away with the differential gearing upon the driving-shaft, for when turning a corner the belt upon the inner side ofthe curve will slip upon the pulleys, and thus allow for the difference in speed required,

I'haveshown my mechanism in the drawings anddescribed it inthe specification as 4 being 'so constructed' as to throw the drivingwheels backward with reference to the frame soasto urgethe machine forward by the forward motion of' the lever and the reverse by the backward motion of thelever. It will ofcourse be apparent that by obvious me might beused when it was desired to start the machine, and the forward, motion when it was desired to stop or back the machine, and I therefore do not confine myself to the precise motions of the hand-lever as shown and described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination with a frame, slide-boxes mounted on said frame springs secured to said slide-boxes, an axle secured to said springs, driving-wheels mounted upon said axle, and driving-pulleys rigidly connected .with said driving-wheels, of a driving-shaft, driving-pulleys secured to said driving-shaft, driving-belts connecting the driving-pulleys on said driving-shaft with the driving-pulleys on said driving-wheels, fricti'on-pulleys secured to said driving-shaft in alinement with said wheels, a levermounted on said frame, and connections.between said lever and said slide-boxes and axles, whereby when said lever is moved in one direction the said driving-belts will be tightened and when said lever is moved in the other direction said driving-belts will be slackened and said driving-wheels moved into frictional engagement with said friction-pulleys.

2. in a self-propelled vehicle, the combination witha. frame, slide-bearings carried thereby and movable longitudinally thereof, an axle connected with said slide-hearings, drive ingqvheels on said axle, and driving-pulleys connected with said driving-wheels, of a driving-shaft journaledIin said frame, driving-pulleys on said driving-shaft, belts connecting the driving-pulleys on said driving-shaft with those connected with the driving-Wheels, a

5 lever mounted on said frame, and connections between said lever and said axle and slidebearings.

3. In a self-propelled vehicle, the combination With a frame, slide-bearings carried there- 1 o by and movable longitudinally thereof,springs secured to said slide-bearings, an axle secured to said springs, driving-wheel's on said axle,

and driving-pulleys connected with said driving-wheels, of a driving shaft journaled in said frame, driving-pulleys on said drivingshaft, belts connecting the driving-pulle on said driving-shaft With thosecconnected With the driving-Wheels, a leverniounted on said frame, and connections between said lever and said axle and slide-bearings.

' WILLIAM C. PRICE.

Witnesses:

'O. E. PIcKARD,

'W. H. DE BUSK. 

